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Gatchaman Episode 23 - The Mecha Ball Runs Wild

 

At a bowling alley, a young girl gets a strike. But as she reaches to pick up her next ball, a massive bowling ball bursts through the floor from under the ground. It destroys the bowling alley and breaks out into the surrounding city.

"It's a monster ball!" one hapless young female victim screams.

But it is now more than a ball. Sprouting red metal legs, it is more like a mechanical spider. Yet based on the title of the episode, I guess we're supposed to think of it as a ball, still.

 

As if to demonstrate this point, the ball's legs retract and it begins to literally roll through the city, destroying buildings as it goes. It even smashes a train!

 

 

Its’ red metal legs have returned, and the ball is now walking in the mountains. The citizens have dubbed this thing the 'Mecha Ball', and 'Earth's Defense Forces' are sent out to meet it. We have... trucks with rocket launchers on top.

Yep! Hope those are some mighty powerful rocket launchers!

 

Ooh, there are planes too!

Not that it matters, because of course, it's too early in the episode for anything to be effective against the mecha-of-the-week. The rocket-launching trucks and the planes prove to be useless against the rampaging Mecha Ball.

In its own defense, the Mecha Ball's legs retract, and wings and a tail sprout. the Ball simply flies away. Strangely, it doesn't seem to bother smashing the rocket-launcher trucks on its way out. Guess this scene is safe to use in BOTP then.

The planes aren't so lucky. The Mecha Ball shoots rockets at them.

I love how the fire blasts coming from the bottom look like the placement of finger holes on a bowling ball! I'm wondering which Tatsunoko script-writer was into bowling...

 

Of course, none of the planes make it. Guess they're 'robot planes'. Wink

But the Mecha Ball is really mad now. It comes back to land, sprouts some claws, and starts smashing the rocket-launching trucks.

The camera pans back, and we see that it is footage being watched by Dr. Nambu and our favorite ninja team. Joe appears unimpressed, while Ken appears to be heartbroken at the devastation.

 

 

We learn that the Mecha Ball attacks are taking place in Amerisama. I’mnot sure if/how this relates to Ameris, or perhaps it is Ameris-sama, as in ‘Lord Ameris’?

"Where the hell did that damn thing come from, anyway?" Ryu snarls. I think he's channeling his inner Condor today.

 

Joe points out that the civilian casualties from this menace are greater than any other threat they've encountered so far. Nambu thinks that this is because the Mecha Ball's purpose is to terrorize the world's citizens.

 

"But that's terrible, we have to do something!" Jun cries.

"You have to calm down, Jun." Nambu says in an almost perfect monotone. "We have to expect this from Galactor.' Ah, so the casualties don't bother him. No wonder he's in charge. We can see from these previous shots that Ken doesn't have that degree of emotional distance.

"It may be a tough fight this time." Nambu warns them.

"Just looking at that stupid Mecha Ball makes me never want to go bowling again!" Jinpei cries angrily.

 

Jun asks what their mission is.

"Well, about that..." Nambu hedges. The camera pans over again to show a despondent (and thus far, silent) Eagle.

Ryu asks if there's something wrong, and Joe wants reassurance that they're going to attack.

"Please, give us our orders, Doctor!" Jun asks.

 

Nambu hangs his head and doesn't offer a proper response. Ken finally turns around and joins the conversation.

"So there isn't a plan, is there?" he says.

Nambu admits that Ken is right. Joe is outraged. Doesn't Nambu have any faith in the Science Ninja Team! It's been 23 episodes already! Come on, Nambu!

 

Ken tells Joe that they can tell from the videos that the Mecha Ball is indestructible.

"We've fought indestructible enemies from Galactor a hundred times and always won." Joe shoots back. Hey, a hundred times? Clearly there's a lot of fighting going on here that's not part of canon episodes! Regardless, they definitely did this last episode, with the Fire-Breathing Dragon.

 

"Stop acting like a frightened child!" Joe threatens Ken with his... finger. This gesture just seems off. Shouldn't it be a fist?

 

Maybe Joe is bragging, saying that he can beat up Ken with one finger? One finger tied behind his back? Big Grin

Ken ignores Joe’s finger, and points out that the fact that the mecha is a ball makes this different. But he doesn't really explain why this is.

Nambu admits that right now, there's nothing the Science Ninja Team can do. It may be a 'simple steel ball', but Nambu hasn't figured out a way to deal with it yet.

"If there's no plan, then just give us the order, and let us charge in and destroy it!" Joe suggests. Why am I not surprised hearing this attitude coming from him?

Ken tells Joe that Nambu doesn't want them to become victims. Jun, Jinpei and Ryu all announce that they're willing to put their lives on the line, but Ken won't hear it.

"I refuse to die in vain!" he shouts.

 

I'm finding this really interesting, because last episode Ken was the one all for going out, even without a strong plan of attack. Maybe he learned his lesson?

But then, 21 episodes later they're going to have this exact same argument with Nambu, and Ken is going to side with the Team, wanting to go off and fight a mecha that will likely kill them.

But of course, I'm getting ahead of myself. I'll just point this out for LB so she can remember all of these wonderful inconsistencies when she writes up episode 44. Wink

"What?" Joe can't believe what he's hearing.

 

Now the fist comes out!

Nambu says that it's his 'duty' to come up with some kind of plan, and asks the Team to standby until he gives them orders.

So what happens? Joe and Jun decided to go out and get cozy at a bar.

 

Okay, not just them. (Darn it!) The entire Team. What is up with Jinpei's hair? And I know Ryu is supposed to be fat, but I swear, in this shot his backside looks twice as big as normal!

 

One other point: this doesn't seem to be the Snack. I didn't realize that the Team hung out other places!

Jun seems happy to be cozying up to Joe as she drinks her orange juice.

 

Yet, she is wondering where Ken went. Joe tells her to leave Ken alone. Ooh, he’s jealous… Wink

It bugs the hell out of the Condor that Ken and Nambu are being such cowards about the mecha ball.

 

Jinpei demonstrates his strength, and wants to fight the Mecha Ball too.

 

Ryu decides that since Jinpei has the muscles, he will impersonate Popeye in his own way... all he needs is the corncob pipe!

 

The Owl declares that 'he's going to lose his edge if all he does is sleep and eat'.

So Jun, to take their minds off of all of this, suggests that they all... go bowling.

Yep, bowling. Not five minutes after Jinpei made that stupid joke about never going bowling again. As a Swan, I have to hang my head in shame. And Jun is usually so bright...

The guys can't think up a polite response to this suggestion, so they all drink their coffee in unison to avoid having to say anything.

 

But they are startled when a nearby television set has a newsflash. The Mecha Ball has now been spotted off the coast of the Banana Islands in the Pacific.

Jun and Ryu listen to the newsflash.

 

"We're going!" Joe announces. Jinpei agrees, but Ryu meekly points out that they're supposed to wait for Nambu's orders.

"We can't wait for him!" Joe shouts. "Let's go!"

 

Jun readily agrees, and contacts Ken.

 

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Unfortunately, it seems that Ken has been in a shipwreck, and is washed up on an island himself.

 

Oh, wait! I guess he was just thinking. He sits up when he gets Jun's call. He's not too pleased to hear from her.
 

Ken says that he's not going to change his mind, and Jun replies that they're going with, or without him.

Ken tells Jun not to be stupid, but to wait for Nambu's orders. Wow, the Fire-Breathing Dragon really made an impression on him!

Joe's voice comes through and tells Ken that they're going anyway. Ken finally agrees to meet them on the God Phoenix.

 

Ken them transforms. Good thing too, because he was starting to look like Joe...

 

Insert stock transformation footage, and everyone hooks up on the God Phoenix.

"Don't be reckless, all right?" Ken asks Joe.

But it seems to be a little late for this request, as Joe is already sitting in Ken's chair, leaving Ken standing around looking like a third wheel/. Uh… fifth wheel.

 

Joe says that he can't just sit around and do nothing while the Mecha Ball rampages.

 

Notice how Jun and Jinpei appear to have transformed into Weebles here. Remember those? Weebles wobble, but they don't fall down...

Sorry, showing my age again. Big Grin

Ken understands their concern, but points out that they haven't even thought of a plan to defeat the Mecha Ball.

As everyone contemplates this, the intern animators at Tatsunoko get a crack at the scene. Jun's orange helmet and white uniform aside, I'm goggling at these faces!

 

And suddenly, they spot the Mecha Ball!

 

The ball has developed pontoons, and it's floating in the ocean! The 'exciting encounter' music begins to play as the ball approaches a large ship, apparently unaware of the God Phoenix's presence.

The clawed arms and a massive propeller emerge.

 

The propeller spins madly, and the massive windstorm caused by this creates huge waves, which toss the ship to and fro. The ship whirls around so much, it's practically making me dizzy! Seriously, it looks like a floating toy swirling around over the bathtub drain when the stopper has been pulled.

The ship disappears beneath the waves.

"Damn it!" Joe says, as the Team does nothing but watch.

 

Joe asks Ken if he still wants to turn back.

Jun suddenly develops some freakishly big eyes and a heavy hand with the eyeliner. I think those intern animators are still working on her.

 

"We can't! We don't stand a chance against it!" Ken insists.

Joe calls Ken a coward, and insists that he's going anyway. But his words are interrupted by familiar laughter...

Katse is broadcasting onto the God Phoenix!

 

Katse taunts the Team about being 'helpless against the mighty Mecha Ball'. "Don't worry!" he says, "I'll finish you off when I have time to spare!"

Ouch. I think I hurt myself typing that one. I am desperately hoping that this isn't translated from the Japanese and that it was just the ADV writers having a bad acid trip.

The Mecha Ball turns into a submarine and moves underwater.

Joe orders Ryu to submerge and follow, but Ken stops them. He says that they're turning around. Joe is aghast, but Ken shouts his order at Ryu.

 

Ryu's hand shakes on the controls. He doesn't want to do it. It's a power struggle at the front of the Bridge!

 

Jun and Jinpei goggle at the scene. Ken reminds Ryu that the Mecha Ball is more than they can handle. Ryu finally agrees, sweating bullets.

 

And without even one confrontation with the mecha yet, it's time for a commercial break.

When we come back, Ken is contemplating the problem of the mecha ball.

 

It looks like he's in Joe's trailer, but that doesn't seem right. Jun and Jinpei are visiting.

 

Jun is concerned about Ken.

 

Jun points out that Ken didn't even realize they were there at first. Jinpei cluelessly plays with his toy: a small metal ball and a big magnet.

 

Anyone want to guess where this is heading? Wink

Jinpei teases Jun about how worried she is about Ken. Ken turns around to ask them to stop arguing, and he sees Jinpei's toy...

"That's it!" Ken shouts, leaping up from the bed.

 

He explains his idea to Jun and Jinpei by throwing the ball at the magnet.

 

He begins shaking and laughing maniacally. Seriously, if I just burst in on this show and didn't know what was happening, I'd think Ken was the villain!

Jinpei is so confused by this that his pants turn all blue.

 

Next thing you know, Nambu is telling the Team that they can use the magnet plan to destroy the Mecha Ball. I guess they already tested it by pulling the red stripes off of Jun's pants. Or maybe it's the 'grabbing Ken's pants' thing again...

 

Jinpei realizes that they'll be able to catch the Mecha Ball 'like a Pachinko ball'. I'm impressed that I actually understand this reference, but only because I know about the Gatchaman Pachinko Game.

Jun is super impressed by Ken's idea.

 

"But will it work?" asks Joe in a strange 'sports announcer' type voice. And he's chewing on a flower... it's a very weird combination for our usually gruff and manly Condor. Yaoi fans, go crazy with this one!

 

Nambu says that this is the only good idea they have had so far, so they're going with it. Apparently, so much of the ISO's resources are going into this plan that the intern animators are back.

 

 

Jinpei’s face kills me! ROFL 2 And Joe’s eyebrows! They’re turning into some kind of hairy caterpillar mecha all by themselves! But at least Joe's flower has disappeared.

And I probably should have mentioned this earlier in the episode, but this is only one of many instances where all of the numbers are outlined on their T-shirts. I believe only Ken's number is supposed to be outlined.

The ISO scientists come up with a plan:

 

A giant magnet is hidden in the mountain ranges of the Alps. A nearby nuclear power plant supplies the magnet with an electric current to create a powerful magnetic field. The plan is for the God Phoenix to lure the Mecha Ball into this field, to trap it.

And the time finally comes... the God Phoenix sets off into the sky after hearing of another Mecha Ball appearance. Of course, they find it easily.

 

Joe was sitting in front last time in Ken's seat, so I guess as punishment, he's been relegated to the back today. He's so far back that he has to stand up to see the viewscreen.

 

Ken reminds them that they should be careful while luring the Mecha Ball, because they don't know what kind of weapons it might be equipped with.

"I like a good challenge." says Ryu, in his best 'understated action hero' voice.

"Rat Face on TV!" Jinpei announces as the God Phoenix swoops in.

 

"Welcome back you crazy kids!" Katse greets them. Everyone is so astounded by this that the Bridge of the God Phoenix suddenly expands to three times its size!

 

Seriously... compare this shot to the earlier ones where the Bridge seemed impossibly crowded with chairs.

"Getting in the way of the Mecha Ball's only going to get you killed faster!" Katse laughs.

"Damn him! He's mocking us!" Joe curses after Katse disappears.

Ken orders Ryu to approach the Mecha Ball and 'taunt it'.

Ryu literally flies circles around the Mecha Ball.

 

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The ball suddenly has mallets on the end of its two arms (wings?) and it attempts to whirl around and bash the God Phoenix. But Ryu easily avoids the mallets. The God Phoenix then flies off and sure enough, the Mecha Ball chases it.

We hear a loud pulsing sound in the background, to remind us of what's in store...

The God Phoenix approaches the Alps. Ken contacts Nambu, who tells the Team to let them know when to start the magnetic field. Wait a minute… if the field hadn’t started yet, then why did we hear that loud pulsing sound?

At the last minute, the Mecha Ball moves away! It's going toward the nuclear power plant!

Joe points out that if the power plant is destroyed, there will be no electricity to generate the magnetic field.

 

Ken is sweating bullets!

 

He orders Ryu to bring them as close as he can to the Mecha Ball.

Ryu wants to know what's going on. Ken declares that he's going to take over the Mecha Ball and pilot it.

 

Even Joe thinks this is too dangerous, and reckless. He can't believe it!

 

"I remember telling you the same thing when we started, Joe." Ken points out.

Jun wants to go with Ken, and so does Jinpei. But Ken refuses.

"Ken's going bowling solo!" the Eagle cries. Ouch... who hired these ADV scriptwriters, anyhow?

Jun worries for Ken's safety.

 

"Don't worry, Jun. Gatchaman is invincible!" Ken says cockily. In fact, he's so invincible that he seems to have grown a few inches. He's suddenly taller than Joe!

 

Joe wishes Ken luck, telling him that 'he can do it'. And they're shaking hands. Awww....

The Dare Da trumpet music plays as Ken rises to the hull of the God Phoenix and jumps out after the dome retracts.

 

Ken lands on one of the Mecha Ball's claws.

 

He is retracted with the claw into the Mecha Ball.

Suddenly, we see shots of Ken beating up goons. That was fast!

 

The goons drop to the floor, and another platoon approaches.

"Next!" Ken smiles.

The goons moan in fear as Ken runs at them, throwing his boomerang.

"Shoot him!" one of the goons cries. So one of them tries. Needless to say, this doesn't work.

 

More fighting scenes.

 

Soon, Ken has found the Bridge of the Mecha Ball.

 

He easily defeats the goons there and takes over the controls.

 

Jinpei and Jun are tracking the Mecha Ball's progress and they see it turn around. Jun contacts Nambu to tell him to start the magnetic field.

 

The horde of scientists with Dr. Nambu pulls the two ‘on’ switches (not sure why they need two, but there it is).

But it seems there's a problem! Some determined goon has decided to try and fly the ship himself! But Ken is holding him back... literally!

 

Everyone in the god Phoenix watches the ball shoot toward the magnetic field. Knowing that as soon as it reaches there, it will explode, Jun cries out for Ken, reminding him to get out of there. Of course, he doesn't hear her.

The Mecha Ball is now caught in the magnetic field. The goon pulls out a gun, and Ken punches him in the face. Ken shoots at the Mecha Ball controls.

 

Just wondering... where is Berg Katse in all of this? He was transmitting to the God Phoenix and all. You'd think he would be on the mecha! But there’s no sign of him and no escape pod launch.

The controls for the Mecha Ball begin to explode, and Ken runs for it. Random metal objects are pulled out of a number of heretofore unobserved openings/vents on the Mecha Ball, and they stick to the giant magnet. The ball itself is slowly being pulled toward the magnet. It is fighting so hard that the magnet half pulls out of the ground. Finally the Mecha Ball crashes and there is a massive explosion.

The God Phoenix lands, and the other members of the Science Ninja Team look sadly into the flames.

 

Jun and Jinpei are crying. It is clear that none of them have faith in Ken, and they don't think he made it out.

"I should have done it." says a tearful Joe. "Please forgive me, Ken."

 

But never fear! Ryu spots something in the sky. It's Ken, gliding down! Jinpei cheers, and Joe gives a creepy smile.

 

Is it just me, or does Jinpei remind you of Casper the Friendly Ghost? And Ryu looks like Chief Wiggum from the Simpsons...

Ken waves heroically at his teammates from the sky.

 

The narrator informs us (in case you hadn't already guessed) that Ken was able to escape in the nick of time. And strangely, this feat within the magnetic field has reversed the colors of his belt buckle.

 

The narrator bids Gatchaman to 'Fly through the skies of our world!' and the episode ends.

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BOTP Episode 64 - Magnetic Attraction

Zark tells us that although Center Neptune is the defense center of the universe, right now it's just a 'snug and cozy marine retreat'.

So what is Zark doing in this snug and cozy retreat?

He's taking a shower.

Yep, really. I'll prove it! Close your eyes if you're easily disturbed.

 

Notice how 1-Rover-1 is patiently holding Zark's towel?

Zark continues washing with his pink scrub brush.

 

Yep, I had to do it. You're going to have nightmares tonight, aren't you? Well, if I am forced to watch it, I want to spread around the pain...

Zark is trying to remember the lyrics to 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat'. He can't remember the word 'boat''. So much for being the Guardian of Center Neptune! If he can't remember the words to this song, I shudder to think of what else he's forgotten...

Zark dries off,

 

and wraps the towel around himself as he exits the shower.

 

And just in case you were hoping he might rust with all of that water in his circuits, Zark tells us that he was showering in 'high grade machine oil'.

Susan calls, and Zark is horrified to be caught practically naked!

 

His antennae pop, and he pulls up the towel. Remember, this is an audio transmission, and Zark often walks around completely naked anyhow. Sigh...

"Why is it you always seem to tune me in when I'm taking a shower?" Zark asks Susan.

Susan replies that she had to contact Zark. A 'space UFO' is traveling into the solar system. Zark compliments Susan on her good work.

 

But Susan doesn't know if it's heading toward Earth or not. She had just finished washing her antennae, and they're up in curlers. Yep, really. I'm not making this up.

But Susan was able to see this UFO. She tells Zark that it was a 'huge round metal ball, floating through space'. Excuse me, but isn't using the words 'round' and 'ball' together redundant?

After Susan signs off, Zark sighs. Susan is usually so reliable! He is shocked that she was washing her antennae on duty. He wonders what color her antennae are. He has always had a weakness for robot girls with red antennae. Okay, Zark, that's TMI...

We cut to shots of the Mecha Ball crashing into a bowling alley and rampaging through Center City. Fortunately, Zark had just enough time to warn the citizens to rush to the bomb-proof shelters. He reminds us that no one has been injured as we see scenes of buildings being destroyed.

Robot land vehicles and robot planes have been ordered to defense. Zark hopes they can cope with it until G-Force arrives. But of course, being robot manned, the planes and rocket-launcher trucks are doomed.

Many of the scenes of destruction are cut, to remove the shots of people. We move over to Chief Anderson, who is briefing the G-Force Team, telling them that Galaxy Security doesn't know how to destroy the ball.

"It's been awhile since we had trouble with Zoltar and his bunch of pirates from Spectra." Jason notes.

"We're not sure it's Spectra." Anderson replies.

Wait a minute... not Spectra? Is it Captain Doom or something again? Could we actually have a new villain?

Regardless, the ball appears to be impregnable. And it slipped by their early warning system (ooh, Susan, you should have left your antennae dirty) so Anderson doesn't know where it's from.

The Chief is leaving it up to Mark to decide if he wants to attack the ball.

"No, I don't think so. I'm sorry." Mark says, very politely.

Jason doesn't understand.

"It's not like you to chicken out in an emergency like this!" he protests.

Mark wants to know what they're up against, first.

"And what do we do in the meantime, let it destroy our cities?" Jason asks angrily.

Mark says that the Phoenix will be kept grounded and ready.

"Sorry, Jason, but I vote with Mark." Princess cuts in. She sounds a bit wussy, but I think the idea was actually to make Jason seem hotheaded, as opposed to making her seem brainless. Regardless, we have both effects.

To support Mark, Keyop and Tiny say they side with him too.

"Well, Jason?" Mark asks calmly.

"No way!" Jason shouts, holding up his fist.

Anderson backs off, reversing his earlier statement that it was up to Mark. He says that now the Federation Council will decide.

After a commercial break, we go back to Zark, who is now dressed in... a cape. Yep, whatever the towel was covering up before is now completely exposed. Enjoy the view.

 

Devil1

Zark sighs that Jason and Mark are 'at it again'. He reminds us that Jason is 'hotheaded', but Zark thinks that this is all his fault. But he doesn't say why.

Personally, I think Jason's just annoyed with Zark, and it makes him irritable. Wink

Regardless, Zark has lost sight of the ball. But he has figured out that it is composed of 'some unknown metallic compound'. Wow... I would never have guessed that all on my own!

Suddenly, Zark discovers something. It's so important that sparks fly from his antennae!

 

He's picking it up now...

 

Yep, this must be what he's picking up: jamming in the Ready Room. Because that's what we see.

As usual, Princess and Keyop are playing music and Tiny is eating Spaceburgers.

"You know, I think, for once, I've had my fill of Spaceburgers!" Tiny says. he's right: there is a fresh one in his hand and three more on the warming rack.

 

Sitting around and waiting kills Tiny's appetite.

Horse-faced Princess tells him that there's nothing they can do about it.

 

She tells Tiny that ‘Zark is up in his tower, burning up his circuits, trying to find an answer'.

Keyop looks like a character rejected from the Simpsons as he burbles and asks where Mark is.

 

Tiny replies that Mark went down to the ocean to meditate. I wonder where Jason is? No one is saying.

Suddenly, Zark interrupts.

 

Zark has located the ball 'just off the coast'. Their mission is to track it down and destroy it. So, is Zark giving them orders now?

"But what about Mark?" Princess asks.

 

Zark tells her to 'call him in'. Princess does, and tells Mark that they're going after the ball, since Zark located it.

"I didn't give that order yet, Princess!" Mark says, showing a hint of anger. Ooh... he has some feeling in this episode after all!

For some reason, Princess doesn’t mention that Zark ordered them to attack.

"Pick you up in ten minutes, Mark." comes Tiny's voice.

"Jason was itching to take over." Mark mutters. Wait a minute... Jason's nowhere in sight and has nothing to do with this communication. Where did Mark ggt that idea?

In any case, Mark transmutes and we get our stock footage.

"Who countermanded my orders?" Mark wants to know, once he's on the Bridge of the Phoenix.

"Zark, and the Chief, and the Federation." Jason says smugly. "It's our job, Mark. And that's what we're all trained and organized for."

"Sure, but what are we going to stop it with, our bare hands?" Mark wants to know. "Even our neutron missile won't put a dent in it!"

Jason wants to give it a couple of good tries anyhow. Princess agrees.

The ball is spotted on the monitors, approaching a ship on the ocean. The ball creates wind and waves with a propellor. The ship tosses around a bit.

"That ship may be in danger." Jason notes. Ooh... may? I guess it's possible it might be all right?

"Let's knock that ball out of the park!" Jason suggests.

"We're turning back. Nothing we can do here." Mark says calmly.

Princess is disappointed.

"No go, Mark! I'm in command now!" Jason insists. It certainly seems true, as Jason is sitting in Mark's usual seat at the front of the Phoenix.

But everyone is interrupted by a transmission from Zoltar. He senses dissension in their ranks. What, can Zoltar just eavesdrop on conversations aboard the Phoenix?

Apparently so.

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Zoltar dares them to attack the ball. Yep, he screams it out a few times. "I dare you! I dare you!" He sounds like a first grader on the playground.

Of course, Jason wants to take Zoltar up on it, but Mark says no.

"We're not taking the bait!" Mark states.

"I'm giving the orders!" Jason shouts.

"That's exactly what Zoltar wants us to do, Jason! We play his game and we lose!" Mark insists.

Tiny is torn. He doesn't know what to do.

"There must be some way!" Mark thinks to himself.

And we get... another commercial break! They’re coming fast and furious in this episode!

Now Zark is pacing.

 

He can't figure out how to defeat the ball. Susan is devastated, because she thinks it's her fault the ship slipped by the outer planetary controls. Of course, she's right.

Zark doesn't know what to do, but to cheer him up, 1-Rover-1 flies across the room to keep him company.

 

But it doesn't help. Zark still doesn't have an answer.

 

Unless Zark can come up with something, Earth could be doomed!

Doomed!

(Can you feel the horror?)

Princess and Keyop are visiting a despondent Mark. Keyop brought Mark a present of a ball and a magnet. When he sees it, Mark gets excited, and begins to laugh, almost as maniacally as Ken does.

Zark thinks Mark's idea is brilliant. He doesn't know why he didn't think of it himself. He explains the idea as we look at blueprints of a giant magnet.

G-Force is out to decoy the 'deadly sphere' to the magnet.

Mark is clearly in charge now, even as Zoltar talks to them again on the screen.

"So you finally came out of hiding, Earthlings!" he laughs. "You have fallen into my trap, G-Force, just as I planned. And now I have a surprise for you. A deadly surprise!"

I guess this is to make it absolutely clear that Mark was right, not the 'hotheaded' Jason.

"We'll see who gets the surprise!" Jason smirks, as Zoltar disappears. There appear to be no hard feelings from Jason at all. He’s just glad to be kicking some Spectran ass. Of course, this being BOTP, he’d never phrase it quite that way. Wink

Tiny flies circles around the ball, avoiding its attacks, then the Phoenix leads it off.

Until... Princess announces that the ball has turned back.

Mark says that they have to get it turned around again, and there's only one way to do it. Someone has to go inside of it.

Princess thinks it's suicide, but she is the first to volunteer for the job.

"Thanks, Princess." Mark says. "But I'm still in charge here."

"You always have been, Mark." Jason says, coming up and shaking the Commander's hand. Since Mark is actually supposed to be taller than Jason, this shot doesn't look as weird as it does in Gatch.

Mark has his heroics entering the ball, but with less fighting than Ken. In fact, no fighting at all. The ball must be completely deserted, because he just walks into the control room and starts piloting it.

When they see the ball turning around, Princess contacts Anderson and tells him to turn on the magnet.

Oops, there is one Spectran soldier, and Mark has to physically restrain him from reaching for the ball’s controls! Everyone on the Phoenix realizes that Mark is going down with the ball.

But no, Mark grabs a gun, clearly firing at the controls over the body of the goon, and then runs out of there. Wait… did he knock out and abandon the goon? The horror!

The ball crashes into the magnet and there is a massive explosion. Everyone thinks Mark is gone.

But then he glides down from the sky, and all is well.

Zark pops in to tell us that Mark has proved why he is the Commander of G-Force. Yet another subtle dig at Jason. I can see why Jason doesn’t like Zark very much,

Then Zark tries to take credit for the whole thing, because Zark is the one who gave Keyop the magnet in the first place. Uh huh... you're really stretching there, Zark.

Zark is going to relax now. He leaves the room, telling 1-Rover-1 to watch out for any red alerts.

And there is a red alert. Oh, the inhumanity! It's a terribly-drawn Mark!

 

I've had enough trauma for this episode... Zark in the shower, Zark in a towel, and now this... I don't know if I can stand it anymore!

But argh! My eyes! Now terribly-drawn Princess has joined him!

 

Mark and Princess have dropped in to talk to Zark, but of course, he's not there. So Mark and Princess start flirting. Because, you know, Zark’s Ready Room is a romantic place, and 1-Rover-1 makes an excellent chaperone for their ‘courting’.

"Mark, I haven't had a chance to tell you yet, but I was so worried about you today!" Princess says in something approaching a Susan-sexpot voice.

"You really were?" Mark asks happily.

 

"When I thought you were trapped in that awful thing... the magnetic attraction was so strong!" Princess sighs. "I was afraid you weren't coming back."

 

"Don't worry, Princess, I'll always come back." Mark promises heroically. "Your magnetic attraction is a lot stronger."

And how does Princess respond to this almost-compliment?

"Mark, you shouldn't say embarrassing things like that in front of 1-Rover-1!"

"He can keep a secret!" Mark laughs. "He's G-Force!"

And in response, 1-Rover-1 salutes.

 

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Good job TJ and thanks again for your work. I honestly cried with laughter ROFL 2 when reading your fabulous comments throughout the episodes picking inconsistencies and bad drawings at the right place and the right time! Well done! And is it a wonder how the right object suggesting the best solution of the problem appears unpremeditated like that, as by magic!

This example confirms why the Gatchaman version is way better than BotP, am i right?!

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Oh my...sooo many funny things about this episode...I hadn't noticed the HUGE amount of poorly drawn scenes in this one- I mean, I noticed that the bar scene was poorly drawn...and the Popeye comment for Ryu was perfect!! As a matter of fact...I'm thinking that Jinpei ate the spinach and is showing his muscle!

And the Zark shower scene is the stuff my nightmares are made of! Fabulous reviews once again!! pound

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Here's the Fan Page...I can see that I have a lot of bloopers to add!


Fan Page #23

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No new posts 22-06-2009 13:17 Springie is offline Send an Email to Springie Homepage of Springie Search for Posts by Springie Add Springie to your Buddy List YIM Screenname: Springie MSN Screenname: Springie
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Thanks, guys! I agree, this episode had more than its fair share of bloopers and badly drawn scenes. I really do wonder if they had unfamiliar animators working on this one, or were perhaps tight for time and just had to rush a couple of things that they thought would 'be in the background'. Remember, when they originally drew this stuff it was going to air ONCE on TV. They couldn't even imagine DVDs and the way we have the ability now to go frame by frame and nitpick this stuff apart.

Not that going frame by frame and nitpicking stuff apart isn't fun! Big Grin

And Gatchamarie, I agree that Gatchaman is a much better series. But a great many of us on this board (myself included) grew up watching BOTP, so it has sentimental value for us, and we are very familiar with it. And since it has the somewhat dubious 'bonus' of different footage in various places, I just *have* to include pictures. After all, would your life have been complete without seeing Zark in the shower? Tomato

Just as a general call again, if there is anyone out there who would like to write up G-Force recaps, we would love to have them!

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I can't stop laughing here... Between your wit and the "intern animators" screencaps! I do remember Weebles too. Laugh2

I swear it must have been BOTP episodes like this, years ago, that made Jason my favourite -if Zark criticized Jason, then I was on Jason's side!


Back to Gatch, it's clear what you meant about this episode being a lot like episode 23. Maybe after the focus on Joe in 18 and 20, they wanted to focus on Ken-as-leader, and more than one writer got the idea of him having a sort of crisis in confidence in the face of an "unbeatable" mecha. It does make for some drama, and shows that Ken does bear an awful lot of responsibility and that it isn't always easy.

No new posts 22-06-2009 13:33 lborgia88 is offline Send an Email to lborgia88 Search for Posts by lborgia88 Add lborgia88 to your Buddy List YIM Screenname: lborgia88
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Okay, I just noticed this one...

 

What is up with Ryu's knees? He's all squished up there! Is he even able to fly the God Phoenix like that?

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[quote]Originally posted by Transmute Jun

And Gatchamarie, I agree that Gatchaman is a much better series. But a great many of us on this board (myself included) grew up watching BOTP, so it has sentimental value for us, and we are very familiar with it. And since it has the somewhat dubious 'bonus' of different footage in various places, I just *have* to include pictures. After all, would your life have been complete without seeing Zark in the shower? Tomato

I think I'm biased by having watched more Gatchaman than BOTP and by the fact that, as soon as I knew about the Gatchaman version, I totally discarded BOTP from my viewing options. Sorry for criticizing BOTP so openly but please know that I utterly enjoyed myself reading and viewing your work and it surely brought me back lots of memories. Keep it up!thumbsup2

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No new posts 22-06-2009 16:12 gatchamarie is offline Send an Email to gatchamarie Search for Posts by gatchamarie Add gatchamarie to your Buddy List
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quote:
Originally posted by gatchamarie
Sorry for criticizing BOTP so openly but please know that I utterly enjoyed myself reading and viewing your work and it surely brought me back lots of memories. Keep it up!thumbsup2


Oh, it's no problem! I freely admit that Gatchaman is better. And you can see that I have no love for Zark. But there's just a childhood sentimentality that many of us have that keeps us coming back to this show. You may notice that there are many fanfics written about BOTP as well. It just captured our imaginations at a time when we had no idea that Gatchaman even existed.

This is why we all said that you were lucky to watch real Gatchaman as a child. We wish we had had the same opportunity!

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oh TJ why did you inflict that on us?

I need to go read a smut fic or something now just to erase the memory of Zark int eh shower.

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No new posts 22-06-2009 16:51 Firebird is offline Send an Email to Firebird Search for Posts by Firebird Add Firebird to your Buddy List AIM Screenname: Taishala YIM Screenname: taishala
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quote:
Originally posted by Firebird
I need to go read a smut fic or something now just to erase the memory of Zark int eh shower.


You think that's something?

Wait until you read Zark and Susan's 'smut conversation' next week... Devil1

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Shudder.

Zark in the shower and in a towel. And then the last comment that Mark makes to Princess, I know it is meant to be romantic, but to me that comment always made me want to barf. *Sorry maybe I am not as romantic as i should be.*

Great job TJ as usual. I was chuckling through out.

For me this ep. marks a turning point in the Eagle's command. Before this he never seemed to feel fully confident in his role. By the end of this ep. he seems to show himself as a leader.

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I'll be having nightmares now about Zark in the shower.

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Don't worry Condorfan I will send Joe over to comfort you when you wake up.

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Hi all!

This episode has enough items of note that I figure I should point a few of them out.

quote:
I'm wondering which Tatsunoko script-writer was into bowling...


You've got to realize that, at the time, bowling was very popular in Japan. It's still quite popular, but it was at its height then.

Still, to answer your question, this episode was written by Jinzo Toriumi.

quote:
We learn that the Mecha Ball attacks are taking place in Amerisama. I’mnot sure if/how this relates to Ameris, or perhaps it is Ameris-sama, as in ‘Lord Ameris’?


Actually, the name of the country is Amerishima, and it has as much of a connection to Ameris as Ameria from episode #43 does -- nothing beyond a similar sounding name.

quote:
As everyone contemplates this, the intern animators at Tatsunoko get a crack at the scene.


You may not be as far off as you think. The Director and three Key Animators for this episode had not worked on Gatchaman prior to this episode, and were therefore not familiar with the look and feel of the series.

As it is, only one of them, animator Shiro Murata, ever worked on the series again after this (As an animator for episode #25, in case you cared). From what I can tell, this was fairly early in the careers for all four of them, but they have all gone on to improve their skills and have successful careers in the animation industry.

quote:
I am desperately hoping that this isn't translated from the Japanese and that it was just the ADV writers having a bad acid trip.


Yes, this can be blamed entirely on ADV. Yet another reason to avoid their English dubbing.

Also, by listening only to the ADV dub, you miss out on one of the more notable errors in the episode, something that's altered for the dub.

Seriously, if you want to view this show the way it was intended, you need to skip the dub and watch it in Japanese with subtitles. I can't stress that enough, you're only cheating yourself if you don't. The dub may be easier, but it is not as faithful as people want to believe it is.

quote:
And he's chewing on a flower... it's a very weird combination for our usually gruff and manly Condor.


This once again goes back to the lack of familiarity with the series on the part of the Director and the Key Animators. By not being familiar with the series, they had to rely heavily on the model sheets for what the characters were supposed to look like. As you can see in this model sheet for Joe, he has a flower in his mouth (Which related back to some of the early concepts for the character). As far as the crew working on this episode knew, Joe was supposed to hold flowers in his mouth.

 

quote:
And I probably should have mentioned this earlier in the episode, but this is only one of many instances where all of the numbers are outlined on their T-shirts.


That same lack of familiarity is also why the characters are drawn with the hollowed out numbers on all of their shirts, just as they appear on their model sheets. When the cels were painted, these were filled in, but it's still obvious what was intended in the artwork.

One other item of note, it is with this episode that the theme songs for the series swapped, so that "The Song of Gatchaman" became the opening theme and "Defeat! Gallactor" became the closing theme. Actually, the version of "Defeat! Gallactor" that most people are familiar with as the ending theme was not used right away. Episode #'s 23~27 used an alternate version of the song that can be found on the Extras disc in the first of the ADV box sets. They list it as an "unused version" of the ending theme, but they don't know what they're talking about. As it is, the ending credits that they use for that bonus material happen to come from episode #23, so take a look at it if you want to see what the original version of the credits for this episode looked and sounded like.

James

No new posts 23-06-2009 01:33 tatsunokofan is offline Send an Email to tatsunokofan Search for Posts by tatsunokofan Add tatsunokofan to your Buddy List
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quote:
Originally posted by lborgia88
Back to Gatch, it's clear what you meant about this episode being a lot like episode 23. Maybe after the focus on Joe in 18 and 20, they wanted to focus on Ken-as-leader, and more than one writer got the idea of him having a sort of crisis in confidence in the face of an "unbeatable" mecha. It does make for some drama, and shows that Ken does bear an awful lot of responsibility and that it isn't always easy.


Yes, but there are just so many similarities between these episodes! There's an 'unbeatable' mecha. Nambu doesn't want them to fight it. They go fight it anyway, and can't defeat it. They go back, build something to defeat it, take it on, and defeat it with Nambu's blessing. The major difference was Ken changing his mind about whether or not he would agree with Nambu. I can see having both of these episodes, but I think it's weird that they were aired one week after the other!

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